Joseph Simone of Simone Development Says Greenway to Enhance New York City’s Expanding Bike Lane Network
Bronx, N.Y. (May 1, 2023)—New York City’s expansion of the Harlem River Greenway will complement Simone Development Companies’ decision to build a greenway on its undeveloped property, said president Joseph Simone.
“Public greenways with dedicated bicycle paths will help private property owners develop new facilities for the growing life-sciences sector whose employees demand alternative modes of transportation,” said Joe Simone, president of Simone Development Companies.
On April 18, New York City launched a series of public-engagement sessions to plan the Harlem River Greenway expansion into the Bronx. The proposed seven-mile route will connect Randall’s Island at the southern tip of the Bronx to Van Cortlandt Park in the north, with a critical north-south bike commuting corridor.
Greenways are expanding throughout New York City, particularly in areas targeted for new development. At the Manhattanville Factory District in West Harlem, the construction of a three-block pedestrian greenway along buildings containing wet labs and offices provides the emerging innovation corridor with an attractive amenity for tenants and their employees.
Simone Development Companies is pursuing a similar strategy at its Hutchinson Metro Center in the Bronx. The Hutchinson Metro Center’s undeveloped southern section will include lawns, seating areas and a greenway through the center of the development. The complex already has a health club, hotel and bicycle trails running along the Hutchinson River Parkway.
“We’ve heard from employers that outdoor amenities like bike trails or landscaped plazas are becoming increasingly important to the top talent that they seek. Simone Development Companies is focused on designing optimal outdoor environments for its Hutchinson Metro Center expansion to accommodate this focus on public spaces,” said Megan Guy, Simone Development Companies’ senior vice president of development.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Simone Development Welcomes Three New Retailers at Revitalized Post Road Plaza in Port Chester, NY
Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nailed It Spa and European Wax Join Tenant Roster at Recently Renovated, LA Fitness-Anchored Strip Center Along US Route 1
PORT CHESTER, NY (April 19, 2023) – Simone Development Companies has recently welcomed three new retail tenants that have leased more than 4,000 square feet of prime retail space at Post Road Plaza at 262 Boston Post Road (US Route 1) in Port Chester, NY. The nearly 63,000 square-foot strip center, anchored by a 40,572 square-foot stand-alone LA Fitness, has been recently renovated and new signage is being installed along the highly-trafficked shopping corridor.
Cake franchise Nothing Bundt Cakes has signed a long-term lease for 1,760 square feet at Post Road Plaza in space formerly occupied by a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant for the last 30 years.
They will celebrate their grand opening on Friday, April 28 with a special “Don Bosco’s Community Center Benefit Day” in which 20% of sales will be donated to an organization dedicated to enabling all people, especially the young who need it most, to realize their fullest potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
In addition, growing local salon Nailed It Spa has signed a new lease for 1,000 square-feet and will open shortly, and expanding franchise European Wax Center, with more than 850 locations nationwide including nearby Hartsdale and New Rochelle, inked a 1,534 square-foot lease and has recently opened for business at Post Road Plaza. There is currently 1,000 square feet of inline retail and a 3,485 square-foot end cap space available at the property.
Joanna Simone, Principal and President of Leasing and Property Management Operations at Simone Development, arranged the transactions on behalf of ownership, along with Scott Meshil and Karnit Mosberg of Royal Properties, Inc., exclusive leasing agents for Post Road Plaza. Also assisting from Simone Development were Hannah Coyman and Rob Carinci for leasing, and Sean Heneghan and Patrick Doyle for legal.
Peter H. Levine of Charter Realty & Development represented Nothing Bundt Cakes; Chris Krzeminski
of CJ Pagano & Sons, Inc. represented Nailed It Spa; and Dan Demasi of Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty represented European Wax Center in the lease negotiations.
“Simone Development is pleased to welcome Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nailed It Spa and European Wax Center to the tenant roster at our Post Road Plaza property, located along one of the most highly-trafficked retail corridors in the Northeast,” said Ms. Simone.
Located minutes off of I-95 and I-287, with close proximity to the Hutchinson River Parkway, Post Road Plaza was recently renovated, with new pylon signage in progress, and includes free parking for 250 vehicles. In addition to anchor LA Fitness, existing tenants include Domino’s Pizza, Subway, Pet Spa Center, Mattress Firm, Ella’s Beauty Lounge, and Wei Wong Kitchen.
About Simone Development Companies
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Life Science Forum Reveals How Computing Will Help Developers Convert Office Buildings To Research Labs
Advanced computing will facilitate the conversion of outdated office buildings into life science laboratories, said Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies.
“Life science laboratories are becoming less reliant on Bunsen burners and faucets in favor of advanced computers. This ‘drying’ of wet labs means that owners of older office buildings or warehouses have new opportunities to reposition their properties for the medical research sector,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.
At the March 29 Crain’s New York Business Life Science Forum in New York City, Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, said computers are dominating his institution’s lab spaces. El-Mohandes explained that equipment for cutting-edge research no longer requires a messy wet-lab environment, allowing for a greater flexibility of uses in office buildings near research centers and universities.
Hope Knight, Commissioner of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency, also spoke at the forum. Knight described New York’s $25 million investment in a pilot “Lab of the Future” in Midtown Manhattan that will rely on automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning to make the preclinical drug discovery process faster, fuel business growth and create more life science jobs. Knight noted that 10 percent of the nation’s cancer patients are in New York, which allows researchers to gather important data that can make New York a leader in the cell and gene therapy space.
“The exciting investments and advances discussed at the Crain’s Life Science Forum are a signal to healthcare real estate developers that we can successfully repurpose existing structures for the labs of the future,” said Danielle Contillo, Principal at Simone Development Companies.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Joseph Simone says New York City’s land-use initiatives will deliver more housing and jobs
New York City’s plans to update neighborhood land uses will help businesses, create more housing, and promote sustainability, said Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies.
“New York City’s ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions include creating new job districts and allowing taller apartment buildings near train stations to reduce single-passenger car use. This policy will improve New Yorkers’ connections to new employment districts emerging near mass transit facilities,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.
The modernization of New York City’s land use rules is part of Mayor Eric Adams’ goal to build 500,000 new homes over the next decade. Under the mayor’s “Build Everywhere” initiative, up to 6,000 new housing units will be built in the East Bronx by 2027 near four new Metro-North Railroad stations also expected to open that same year. The Build Everywhere push in the East Bronx is projected to create 10,000 jobs near the new train stations, allowing workers to sustainably commute by public transportation.
One of the East Bronx neighborhoods targeted by the Build Everywhere initiative is Morris Park, already home to a large job center due to the presence of hospitals, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and affiliated healthcare businesses. Simone Development Companies’ Hutchinson Metro Center represents a significant portion of the area’s employment numbers, and it sits next to the future Morris Park Train Station.
The Hutchinson Metro Center is a 42-acre, mixed-use campus planning a 33-acre expansion that may include life science labs, medical offices, and destination retail, among other uses.
“Simone Development Companies supports New York City’s effort to increase the quantity and quality of workforce housing, which is critical for the hospitals in Morris Park and for employers considering locating in our campus or anywhere in the region,” said Patricia Simone, principal and president of Simone Management Group.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Construction and Leasing Executives Join Simone Development Compaines
BRONX, NY (January 9, 2023) – Simone Development Companies has appointed two real estate industry veterans to senior positions in its construction and leasing departments.
Roger Merriman is Simone Development’s new Senior Vice President of Construction and Jeremy Schwartz is Director of Leasing. These executives possess years of experience in the real estate industry and have worked with leading real estate companies in the tristate area.
“Roger and Jeremy bring impressive backgrounds and skills to the Simone team in the realms of construction management, leasing, property marketing, underwriting and property portfolio management,” said Joseph Simone, President of Simone Development Companies. “Both of these individuals will help us strategically position ourselves for future growth as we build our operational capacity and scalability.”
Prior to joining Simone Development, Merriman served as Vice President of Construction at SL Green Realty Corp., where he managed a team of professionals, consultants, and contractors on construction projects for the largest commercial real estate portfolio in New York City.
Schwartz formerly worked as Assistant Vice President of Leasing at Urstadt Biddle Properties, where he successfully transacted on more than 300,000 square feet of space. He also managed the leasing and marketing of over 1,500,000 square feet of grocery-anchored shopping centers and office buildings throughout the tristate area.
About Simone Development Companies
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
NAVADERM Inks 6,400 SF Lease at Throggs Neck Shopping Center
Simone Development Companies Welcomes Dermatology Platform at the Now 100% Leased Bronx Shopping Center
BRONX, NY – June 27, 2022 – Simone Development Companies has announced that NAVADERM has signed a 10-year, 6,400-square-foot lease at the Throggs Neck Shopping Center in the Ferry Point section of The Bronx, bringing the 12-year-old shopping center to full occupancy.
Karnit Mosberg of Royal Properties represented the owner in the deal while Avison Young’s Michael Blue represented the tenant.
NAVADERM joins a remarkable and extensive group of tenants including retailers Target, TJ Maxx, Petco, Party City, and Skechers as well as restaurants Cap’t Louis Seafood Boil, Charleys Philly Steaks, Starbucks, Applebee’s, Subway, Chipotle, Sarku Japan, among others.
“We are proud to announce NAVADERM brings the incredibly successful Throggs Neck Shopping Center to full occupancy,” said Josh Gopan, AVP of Leasing for Simone Development. “The shopping center has remained incredibly attractive to both retailers and shoppers, even as we continue to navigate the pandemic’s aftermath. The center’s diverse roster of tenants along with its remarkable accessibility and ample parking have kept it as one of the Bronx’s most sought-after shopping centers.”
Since its construction by Simone Development Companies in 2010, Throggs Neck Shopping Center has created hundreds of new jobs and boosted the borough’s economy. The 300,000-square-foot, large-scale retail development is conveniently located at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue and the Hutchinson River Parkway, boasting secure free parking for over 600 cars and anchored by a 165,000+ square-foot Target department store, one of the most active in the nation.